BROADCASTERS, STUDENTS ENJOY DREAMING UP PERFECT STATION (October 21, 1987)

Imagine your fantasy radio station. If money were no object and you could put together a station with any format, air personalities, call letters and management, what would that station be like?

I posed that question to 25 local deejays, talk hosts and other broadcasters, as well as to the broadcasting class at Bauder College. I did ask that they try to stick to local air talent and managers, or at least to familiar names. I also encouraged them to avoid naming everybody at their own station — that’s no fun. They came up with some interesting and humorous answers.

A few respondents suggested celebrities — some of whom would have to be raised from the grave — to be programmers and deejays at their dream station. Ken Martin of WTMI said he’d hire famous composers, such as Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, to spin records at his classical music station. Felix Mendelssohn would be the station manager.

Heavy metal music, with the call letters WHVY, was the choice of Dan McKay and Jim Schuyler of Hot 105. Rocker David Lee Roth would be the morning man, followed by Neil Rogers of Zeta, the Bearman and Judy T. of WGTR, Rick Shaw of WAXY (“We want to hear him talk up Stairway to Heaven,” said Schuyler), and John Lomelo, former mayor of Sunrise, as overnight jock. Ozzy Osbourne would be program director.

Scott Evans of KISS would program an up-tempo country-dance station, with the call letters WKLG, as in “clog” country dancing. Country artist Ronnie Milsap would be the station owner, as “he’d probably issue very few memos.” Waylon Jennings and George Carlin would team up on mornings, and other deejays would include Crystal Gayle.

However, most respondents kept their choices local. The 26 students at Bauder College’s broadcast class (formerly Brown Institute) named a star-studded lineup of deejays including Herman and McBean of WGTR in morning drive, a team of WGTR’s Patty Murray and WAXY’s Ellen Jaffe for mid-days, followed by Y- 100’s Sonny Fox and crew, WSHE’s Joey Reynolds and Love 94’s Greg Budell on overnights. WAXY’s Rick Shaw would be the program director, and Y-100’s David Ross the general manager. The format would be progressive rock, with call letters WBMW. (“Obviously, we have a few yuppies in the class,” said instructor Ed Galizia.)

The format mentioned most often was jazz, though most said they’d mix in other types of music as well. Other favorites were various forms of Adult Contemporary music, progressive rock, dance rock, oldies rock, middle-of-the-road nostalgia and talk. Jerome Jenkins of WMBM said he’d combine rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel and country, though he’d call the station WROC. His program director would be nationally known disc jockey and TV personality Casey Kasem.

Neil Rogers got the most votes for air personality, followed by three votes each for Bill Tanner, Sonny Fox, Joey Reynolds, Greg Budell and Rick Shaw, and two each for Bill Calder and Tom Leykis for talk, and Herman and McBean, Robert W. Walker, Ellen Jaffe, Don Agony, the Bearman and Don Cox for music, though one of those votes was from Cox himself. A few people voted for themselves as deejay or manager — after all, it is their fantasy radio station.

Some would bring former area personalities back to the local dial, such as Leykis, “The Madame” (Jo Weitz) and Arnie Warren. Tony “The Tiger” of Rhythm 98 would bring in a different club comedian each day to host the morning show at his station, which would be continuous dance mixes, with the call letters WMIX.

David Ross was most often named general manager. Nearly everyone voted for a different program director, though Kasem and Tanner each got two votes.

Some of the most creative call letters suggested were WSFX, for an all-special-effects radio station; WFRE (“free”) and WTLK for talk, and the revival of WFUN, with the slogan “Radio is Fun Again,” and Dick Clark as general manager. WKAT’s Roby Yonge would name his ideal station with his initials, WRDY, and would have no stuffy corporate ownership. (“So I could wear my loudest Hawaiian shirts and shorts to work when I want to,” he said.) Sonny Fox would name his station Radio Alice, as he says people’s names are easier to remember.

Skip Herman’s fantasy radio station would have no commercials, yet still make lots of money.

Michael Dalfonzo, program/promotions director and disc jockey at WSHE (103.5 FM), is leaving the station Nov. 30 to open his own national radio consulting company, Radio Plus. . . . If the voices or faces on the new TV commercial for Sportsman’s Paradise sound or look familiar, they’re WNWS’ Geoff Charles as the main character, tossing a sneaker to Power 96’s Mark Moseley, with the voice of Power’s Don Cox at the end. Also, the spot introduces Charles as “The Big Kahuna” — I thought Roby Yonge had local dibs on that nickname.. . . .

Ernie Sochin, who’s been working as a fill-in talk host on WIOD (610 AM), now has a permanent weekend spot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, replacing the Garage Sale program, which has been discontinued. Beginning early next year, Sochin will be heard both Saturdays and Sundays at that time. . . .

Lee Gillette has been taken off Neil Rogers’ morning show on Zeta 4 (WZTA 94.9 FM). Rogers said there were too many people on the show, and that Gillette as a third personality “didn’t work out.” Zeta general manager Gary Lawrence said he’s trying to find a new spot for Gillette, who’s still employed by Zeta and was its afternoon deejay before moving to the morning show last week. . . .

Sounds of Israel, a program of Israeli music and news hosted by Tzemach Yariv, is now heard from noon to 1 p.m. Sundays on WVCG (1080 AM). The show aired on the former WBUS (now Love 94) in the 1970s.
Caption: photo: David ROSS